New York State Route 28 (NY 28) is a
state highway extending for in the shape of a "C" between the
Hudson Valley city of
Kingston and southern
Warren County in the
U.S. state of
New York. Along the way, it intersects several major routes, including
Interstate 88,
U.S. Route 20, and the
New York State Thruway twice. The southern terminus of NY 28 is at
NY 32 in Kingston and the northern terminus is
U.S. Route 9 in
Warrensburg. In Kingston, NY 28 is
co-designated as
Interstate 587 from its southern terminus at NY 32 to the
roundabout linking it to the Thruway (I-87).
NY 28 was originally assigned in 1924 to an alignment extending from
Colliersville in the south to
Utica in the north via
Ilion. From Colliersville to
Cooperstown, the highway followed its current routing (excluding minor realignments); north of Cooperstown, NY 28 was routed along several state highways that now have other designations. The route was extended south to Kingston and north to Warrensburg as part of the
1930 renumbering. At the same time, Route 28 was realigned between Cooperstown and
Mohawk to follow its modern routing. Other than minor realignments in Kingston,
Oneonta, and
Oneida County, NY 28 has remained the same to this day.
Route description
Ulster County
New York State Route 28's southern terminus is with
NY 32 (Albany Avenue) in the city of
Kingston. The route heads north, then northwest on Colonel Chandler Drive, a four-lane
limited-access highway. The roadway is also designated and signed as Interstate 587, which begins at NY 32 as well. Although Colonel Chandler Drive is built to
Interstate Highway standards, it has no intermediary interchanges. After crossing over the
Esopus Creek into
Ulster, I-587 terminates at a
roundabout linking I-587 and NY 28 to the
New York State Thruway (
Interstate 87) at exit 19.
alt=A red sign with yellow text reads "Adopt-A-Highway Program Next 1.5 Miles". A second sign below that with the same background and text color gives the name of that segment's sponsor.
West of I-87, the route enters the
Catskill Park limits and becomes the Onteora Trail. Although still four lanes wide, the route is no longer a limited-access highway as it has an
at-grade intersection with Modica Lane, a local dead-end street, just west of where it passes over the Thruway. Not long afterward, the highway meets
U.S. Route 209 by way of a
cloverleaf interchange. Past US 209, the highway enters a rural area as it heads northwest into the center of the state park.
Near the eastern tip of the
Ashokan Reservoir, in the town of
Kingston, Route 28 intersects the eastern terminus of
NY 28A. West of NY 28A, Route 28 continues towards the north and west along the northern edge of the reservoir. In
West Hurley, the route intersects the southern terminus of
NY 375. It proceeds along the reservoir to its western end in the
town of Olive community of Boiceville, where NY 28A reconnects to the route. North of the reservoir, the route continues along Esopus Creek into the town of
Shandaken. Within Shandaken, NY 28 heads north through the
hamlets of Mount Tremper (where it meets the southern terminus of
NY 212) and
Phoenicia (situated at the junction between Route 28 and the southern end of
NY 214).
Past Phoenicia, both Esopus Creek and Route 28 curve to the northwest as they approach the hamlet of Shandaken. Here, Route 28 intersects the southern terminus of
NY 42's northern segment. The highway then heads southwest to the community of Big Indian. Esopus Creek turns south here; however, the road once again turns northwest along Birch Creek to the former village (now hamlet) of
Pine Hill. After exiting Pine Hill, the route continues independent of a waterway for the first time as it passes the
Belleayre Ski Center in Highmount on its way out of Catskill Park and into
Delaware County.
Delaware and Otsego Counties
alt=A narrow waterway is bordered on both sides by a vertical retaining wall made of stone. On top of the wall is a metal fence. The waterway progresses from the foreground to the background, where it turns a full 90 degrees to the right.
Across the county line in
Middletown, the highway shifts towards the west. Route 28 begins a
concurrency with
New York State Route 30 in
Margaretville, with the routes paralleling the
East Branch of the Delaware River. After crossing the Delaware River, the route ends its concurrency with Route 30, and NY 28 continues northwest through
Andes as Main Street and Delaware Avenue. In the village of
Delhi, the highway becomes known as Andes Road and has a short concurrency with
New York State Route 10 in the village center. North of Delhi, it continues north towards the hamlet of
Meredith, proceeding west past the hamlet. In
Franklin, Route 28 makes a 90-degree turn to the north at the intersection with the eastern end of
New York State Route 357.
Once in
Otsego County, it traverses an
s-curve before veering to the east to follow the southern bank of the
Susquehanna River through the town of
Oneonta. The route initially connects to the city of
Oneonta, which is located across the river from Route 28, via Main Street. Shortly afterward, Route 28 meets
Route 23. The route turns north, overlapping Route 23 along the four-lane James F. Lettis Highway. The two routes cross the River and enter the Oneonta city limits before separating at
Interstate 88 exit 15. NY 23 continues north on the arterial; however, NY 28 joins I-88 eastward out of the city.
Back in the town of Oneonta, the overlap between Route 28 and I-88 continues along the northern bank of the Susquehanna toward the hamlet of Emmons, where the expressway interchanges with County Route 47 at exit 16. The overlap ends at exit 17 in
Milford; however, New York State Route 28 remains in close proximity to the Susquehanna River, which turns northward at the interchange. Roughly north of I-88, the highway passes over
Route 7 with no access between the two. After another , the route meets D.K. Lifgren Drive
(unsigned Route 992G),
a connector providing access between Routes 7 and 28. North of
Goodyear Lake, a body of water situated north of Lifgren Drive, the highway parallels the Susquehanna to the village of
Milford, where it intersects the southern terminus of
Route 166.
The highway continues northward along the banks of the Susquehanna to the village of
Cooperstown, home to the
National Baseball Hall of Fame. Inside the village, the route is initially known as Chestnut Street. Two blocks from the business district of the village, it intersects
Route 80, which occupies Chestnut Street north of this point. Both routes turn west,
overlapping each other as the routes leave the village.
The portion of the highway between the southern border of the village of Cooperstown and the northern intersection with Grove Street is maintained by the village, and is the only section of the route not maintained by the
New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT). Routes 28 and 80 head towards the northwest, passing by the now-abandoned Cooperstown Airport. In
Otsego, the Route 28/80 concurrency ends. It continues northward as it passes
Canadarago Lake. In
Richfield Springs, the highway has a concurrency with
U.S. Route 20 for . North of Route 20, the highway exits Otsego County.
Herkimer and Oneida Counties
In
German Flatts, Route 28 becomes Columbia Street and intersects the northern terminus of
New York State Route 168. In
Mohawk, NY 28 intersects
New York State Route 5S. After crossing the
Mohawk River, Route 28 becomes Mohawk Street and interchanges with
Interstate 90 (
New York State Thruway) at exit 30. In the village of
Herkimer, Route 28 has a concurrency with
New York State Route 5. North of Route 5, Route 28 begins to parallel the
West Canada Creek. In
Middleville, it intersects the western terminus of
New York State Route 29 and the northern terminus of
New York State Route 169. The highway executes a 90-degree turn at the three-route junction. Route 28 continues towards the north paralleling the West Canada Creek. In
Poland, New York State Route 28 begins a concurrency with
New York State Route 8.
alt=A two-lane highway passes alongside several two-story homes, some of which house businesses. One side of the highway is lined with telephone poles that have streetlights and American flags mounted on them.
In
Deerfield,
Oneida County, NY 28 splits from Route 8. Route 28 crosses the West Canada Creek and leaves Oneida County for about , then re-crosses the creek and enters Oneida County again. In
Trenton, Route 28 joins
NY 12 northward toward
Barneveld. In Barneveld, Route 12 and Route 28 intersect
NY 365. Route 28 splits from NY 12 in
Remsen and heads toward the northeast, passing through numerous lakes and reservoirs. In
Forestport, it enters
Adirondack Park as it parallels the
Adirondack Mountains.
Route 28 briefly reenters Herkimer County, but does not have any major junctions. Route 28 passes the
Fulton Chain Lakes, among several other large lakes, as it winds through the Adirondack Park.
Hamilton and Warren Counties
The Fulton Chain Lakes which Route 28 has been following extend into Hamilton County. The highway soon reaches the settlement of
Long Lake as it passes south of
Raquette Lake. In the hamlet of
Blue Mountain Lake, the route begins a concurrency with
New York State Route 30; the concurrency ends in the hamlet of
Indian Lake. East of Route 30, Route 28 begins to shift towards the south.
Route 28 enters Warren County paralleling the
Hudson River. In
North Creek, it intersects the southern terminus of
New York State Route 28N. The highway continues towards the south opposite to its original course. In
Wevertown, it intersects
New York State Route 8. It continues towards the southeast paralleling the Hudson River and in
Warrensburg, Route 28 comes to an end at a "Y" intersection with
U.S. Route 9.
History
Ulster and Delaware Turnpike
In 1802, the
Ulster and Delaware Turnpike was chartered by the
New York State Legislature "for improving and making a road from the west line of the Town of
Salisbury in the State of
Connecticut to the
Susquehanna River at or near the Town of Jericho (now
Bainbridge)". The portion of the Ulster and Delaware Turnpike east of the
Hudson River was also commonly known as the Ulster and Salisbury Turnpike or the Salisbury Turnpike. West of the river, the turnpike connected
Kingston to modern-day
Bainbridge. It then followed modern NY 28 west from Kingston up to the hamlet of
Andes. From Andes, the turnpike alignment left NY 28 to follow modern Delaware County Road 2 to De Lancey,
NY 10 to
Walton, and
NY 206 to the
Village of Bainbridge. The turnpike crossed the river via the Kingston-Rhinecliff Ferry and used modern Rhinecliff Road and West Market Street to the village center of Rhinecliff, then roughly followed modern-day
NY 308 to the hamlet of
Eighmyville. It continued east from there using part of present-day County Route 52 to eventually connect with and follow the route of current
NY 199.
The turnpike corporation operated through the late 19th century.
Designation
NY 28 was designated in 1924 by the New York State Department of Transportation from
Colliersville (near
Oneonta) north to
Utica.
At the time, NY 28 began at then-
NY 9 in Colliersville and headed north on its current alignment to
Cooperstown. NY 28 separated from its modern routing and continued to
Springfield north of Cooperstown on what is now
NY 80. Between Springfield and
Richfield Springs, the highway utilized what is now
U.S. Route 20. At Richfield Springs, the highway turned north onto modern
NY 167 and followed the current alignments of NY 167—
NY 168, and
NY 5S, as well as a small portion of its current alignment in
Mohawk—north, then west, through
Ilion to its terminus in Utica.
In 1924, what is now NY 28 was part of New York State Route 19 from
Kingston to
Margaretville (where NY 19 turned north to follow modern
NY 30 to
Grand Gorge),
NY 9 from Oneonta to Colliersville, Route 28 from Colliersville to Cooperstown,
NY 2 from
Trenton to
Forestport, and
NY 10 from
North Creek to
Wevertown. The remaining portions of modern NY 28 were unnumbered.
By 1926, the portion of current NY 28 from Margaretville to
Meredith was designated as part of New York State Route 64. Past Meredith, NY 64 continued north to
NY 23 on Palmerville Road, McDougal Road, Rathbun Road, and Prosser Hollow Road. Additionally, the segment of modern Route 28 from
Middleville to Trenton was designated as part of
NY 29.
Between 1926 and 1930, what is now NY 28 between
Blue Mountain Lake and
North Creek became part of NY 10A, a highway extending from
Long Lake to North Creek via Blue Mountain Lake.
In the
1930 renumbering, NY 28 was extended south from Colliersville to Kingston largely by way of its current alignment along the Ulster and Delaware Turnpike. North of Cooperstown, the route was realigned to follow its modern routing between Cooperstown and Mohawk, then extended into the
North Country through
Wevertown to
Warrensburg along its present alignment.
[Automobile Legal Association (ALA) Automobile Green Book, 1930/31 and 1931/32 editions, (Scarborough Motor Guide Co., Boston, 1930 and 1931). The 1930/31 edition shows New York state routes prior to the 1930 renumbering] Between Colliersville and Cooperstown, the route remained unchanged. The small portion of NY 10A that did not become part of NY 28 in the renumbering was incorporated into NY 10.
Realignments
alt=A shaded area roughly depicts the city of Kingston. A solid line passes the city to the left; one end of the line reads "to New York City" while the other (at top) reads "to Albany". Another solid line leads from that line to the center of Kingston, where it ends.
In
Oneida County, NY 28 originally broke from its modern alignment southeast of
Barneveld to follow modern County Route 56 into the village. At Mappa Avenue, then carrying
NY 12, NY 28 turned north,
overlapping NY 12 north along Mappa Avenue through the village. Outside of Barneveld, NY 12 and NY 28 were routed on Plank Road and what is now County Route 82 before rejoining their modern alignment near the
Remsen community of East Steuben. By 1947, NY 28 was rerouted slightly to enter Barneveld via an extension of Trenton Falls Road and Mappa Avenue.
Both NY 12 and NY 28 were realigned onto a new four-lane roadway from Barneveld to East Steuben in the 1950s.
link=
Within Kingston, NY 28 initially began at the intersection of Broadway and East Chester Street, which was part of
U.S. Route 9W at the time. From there, NY 28 followed Broadway, Albany Avenue, Clinton Avenue, North Front Street, and Washington Avenue through the city to
Ulster, where it joined its modern routing at what is now the
roundabout leading to
New York State Thruway exit 19.
When the initial plans for the
Interstate Highway System were outlined by the
Bureau of Public Roads in the 1955
Yellow Book, a highway was planned for the NY 28 corridor. This highway was included as part of the expansion to the system in 1957. Construction began on the roadway, which became Colonel Chandler Drive, in December 1958. It was designated as Interstate 587 and became part of a rerouted NY 28 upon its completion in July 1960. NY 28 continued to extend eastward from Colonel Chandler Drive along Broadway to US 9W until its truncation to
NY 32 in the early 1980s. Washington Avenue, bypassed by the new
limited-access highway, is now designated as NY 981K, an unsigned
reference route in length, from Hurley Avenue to NY 28.
In the vicinity of Oneonta, NY 28 originally crossed the
Susquehanna River by way of Main Street. The route then followed Main through the city to Colliersville, where it turned north onto D.K. Lifgren Drive to rejoin its modern alignment. From downtown Oneonta to Colliersville, NY 28
overlapped NY 7. NY 28 was rerouted to follow its current alignment between Main Street south of Oneonta and D.K. Lifgren Drive near Colliersville in the early 1980s following the completion of what is now NY 28 from
Interstate 88 exit 17 to D.K. Lifgren Drive. The portion of Main Street between NY 28 and NY 7 ( long) is now designated as NY 992D while D.K. Lifgren Drive ( in length) is now NY 992G.
Memorial designation
On June 14, 2004, Governor
George E. Pataki announced that a portion of the highway in the Town of Hurley in Ulster County was to be designated as the "New York State Troopers T. Michael Kelly and Kenneth A. Poorman Memorial Highway". During May 2000, troopers Kelly and Poorman were killed on this stretch of Route 28, when their police cruiser was struck by a tractor-trailer.
Suffixed routes
alt=Four signs are mounted on a pole. From top to bottom, they are: the word "east", a NY 28N shield, a yellow-on-brown sign with an outline of Theodore Roosevelt's face and the text "Roosevelt-Marcy Trail", and a reference marker for NY 28N.
- NY 28B was a spur route connecting NY 28 to Prospect in Oneida County. When the route was initially assigned by 1947, it extended from NY 28 south of Trenton Falls (southeast of Barneveld) to NY 12 and NY 28 in Remsen via Trenton Falls-Prospect Road and Prospect Road.
Major intersections
